Aug 5, 2014

Next month, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile should make official its next flagship Android-based handset, in the form of Sony Xperia Z3, and it seems that a mini version of the phone will also be announced.

Supposedly called Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, the handset was rumored a few times before, and allegedly leaked photos with it appear to have emerged online once again. According to XperiaBlog, which has found these images on Baidu, the phone depicted here has been actually labeled as Xperia Z3, though it appears to feature a series of design differences when compared to Xperia Z3 smartphone spotted online before. One of these differences would be the distance between the magnetic charging port and the port flap, suggesting that we’re actually looking at a device that is not Xperia Z3. Furthermore, the news site suggests that, since Xperia Z3 Compact should feature a design similar to that of its larger counterpart, this is the phone that we are looking at in said leaked photos. However, there is also the possibility that the device spotted here is actually a prototype version of the Xperia Z3, which would explain the small differences in design.

However, no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now, and we’re still uncertain what this phone actually is. One thing that is certain, however, is that, should this be the Xperia Z3, the leaked photos offer a closer look at the flaps and ports that it will sport on each side when made official. You can see the microUSB port on one side, as well as the micro SD memory card and micro SIM slots on the other. For those out of the loop, we should note that the Xperia Z3 Compact is rumored to arrive on the market with a 4.5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, as well as with a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor inside. Moreover, the mobile phone is rumored to include 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes.

On the back, it should sport a 20.7-megapixel camera with at least full HD video recording capabilities, complemented by a 2.1MP front camera for making video calls while on the go. Additionally, the smartphone is expected to run under the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system right out of the box, and to feature various exclusive apps and features coming from Sony itself. Rumor has it that Sony will make both Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact official at the IFA 2014 trade show in Berlin next month, so stay tuned to learn additional info on them.